We recently got the chance to sit down with Slayer legend Tom Araya before the frontman hit the stage at Chicago Open Air. During this interview, Araya revealed his battle with sleep apnea, which has been taking a toll on him, especially while on tour.

In the past few years, Araya has been open about his feelings on touring. Though he still loves performing for the fans, Slayer’s hectic travel schedule has caused Araya to dislike that part of the touring experience. For the first time publicly, Araya shared that he’s been struggling with sleep apnea, causing him to get very little rest when he’s on the road.

“I need [a CPAP] to sleep, so if I can’t sleep well, I don’t sleep long,” Araya says. “I only slept maybe three or four hours [last night] and then I woke up. I don’t sleep good on the bus, period, but when I got to the hotel I didn’t sleep very long … That’s the part of the road that I’m not enjoying anymore, because I can’t rest, I can’t get plenty of sleep.”

We also spoke with Araya about a statue of him that was erected at a Ukrainian zoo. As it turns out, the creator was in constant contact with Tom and his wife throughout the process. “He asked [my wife], ‘Do you think he’s cool with this?’ When I saw it, I told her, ‘Yeah, I guess,’” Araya recalls. “It really looks cool. He’s been a stickler for detail and making sure that the guy finished it. He went through a few episodes where he was really upset at the [artist] and he was letting us know. He would like me to go there, but I don’t know if that’s something I want to do at the moment because there’s so much s—t going on in that area.”

Check out our exclusive chat with Tom Araya in the clip above. Slayer are still on the road with Lamb of God and Behemoth, so check out the remaining tour dates to see if this summer’s heaviest tour is stopping by your town and check out our review and photos of the tour's New York City stop.